#数字资产市场动态 Ethereum co-founder Vitalik's recent remarks have sparked heated discussions. He straightforwardly stated that over the past decade, Ethereum has not made progress in several core areas and has instead experienced "obvious setbacks."

This seems to be a form of "self-denial." But what’s more noteworthy is a heavy judgment he threw out afterward — 2026 will become a critical milestone for Ethereum to completely reverse its situation.

This is not just wishful thinking. Vitalik announced a set of technical evolution plans that are "no longer compromising":

First, look at the infrastructure layer. The combination of ZK-EVM and BAL can significantly reduce the technical barriers for running full nodes, enabling more participants to independently verify network status — this is true decentralization in practice. The Helios verification RPC data scheme changes the trust model for users — you no longer need to blindly rely on a node provider; verification rights are in your own hands.

The privacy layer is even more groundbreaking. ORAM and PIR technologies allow users to interact without exposing data request contents. Social recovery wallets combined with time-lock mechanisms provide stronger asset protection for ordinary users. The $ETH wallet ecosystem is upgrading the payment experience, and privacy capabilities are no longer exclusive to professionals. The ERC-4337 account abstraction plan promotes privacy and censorship resistance as fundamental capabilities rather than advanced features.

The application ecosystem is also being reshaped. IPFS combined with on-chain UI DApp design can reduce dependence on centralized frontends, truly returning to the essence of Web3 decentralization.

Vitalik’s core attitude can be summarized in one sentence: In 2026, Ethereum will no longer sacrifice long-term value for short-term usability. This is not pandering to market sentiment but a thorough correction of direction.

If these goals are gradually realized, Ethereum’s competition will be more than just price competitiveness. More fundamentally — who truly deserves to carry the infrastructure of the next-generation decentralized internet?

Short-term market reactions are often driven by emotions, but the long-term pattern is always shaped by underlying technological direction. Is this the starting point for Ethereum to return to its peak, or a gamble by idealists? Perhaps 2026 will provide the answer.

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